What Are the Current Chapter 13 Debt Limits? The debt limitations set for cases filed between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2025, are $1,395,875 of secured debt, and $465,275 of unsecured debt.
For example, in December 2021, Congress raised the debt ceiling from $28.9 trillion to $31.4 trillion, allowing borrowing to proceed until the total government borrowing reached this new limit (which finally happened on January 19, 2023).
If you file for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, your secured debt may be discharged, but the lender is also able to repossess the property that secured the debt. In other words, if you have a mortgage on your home and file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the mortgage debt may be discharged but the lender can take back your home.
Chapter 13 Eligibility Any individual, even if self-employed or operating an unincorporated business, is eligible for chapter 13 relief as long as the individual's combined total secured and unsecured debts are less than $2,750,000 as of the date of filing for bankruptcy relief. 11 U.S.C. § 109(e).
Credit card debt is by far the most common type of unsecured debt. If you fail to make credit card payments, the card issuer cannot repossess the items you purchased.
Key Takeaways A secured line of credit is guaranteed by collateral, such as a home. An unsecured line of credit is not guaranteed by any asset; one example is a credit card. Unsecured credit always comes with higher interest rates because it is riskier for lenders.
Credit card debt can be forgiven through a variety of methods, including debt settlement negotiations with the lender, debt management programs, and in some cases, bankruptcy. In the case of bankruptcy, discharge of unsecured debt such as credit card debt is possible under Chapter 7.